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IMDIA; INDIAN NATIVE STATES

THE COINAGE OF KISHANGARH.

K.W. WIGGINS

Historical Summary

The former princely state of Kishangarh was situated in Rajputana, India and
lay to the northeast of Ajmir and between the states of Jaipur and Jodhpur.
The capital weu9 the town of Kishangarh and the area of the state was about
874 square miles. The population in 1891 amounted to 125,516, of whom 90?^
were Hindus, the remainder being Muslims and Jains.

The state was divided into five districts: Arain, Bandar Sindri, Kishangarh,
Rupnagar and Sarwar and contained about 221 towns and villages.

The chiefs belonged to the Rathor clan of Rajputs and were descended from
Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur, whose second son Kishan Singh (bom 1575 A.D.)
was exiled to Ajmir for reasons which are now unknown but which were probably
not to his credit. Kishan Singh came under the notice of Akbar, the Mughal
emperor (1556-1605 A.D.), irtio employed him for various unsavoury political
activities, which even included the assassination of politically unreliable
chiefs in Rajputana. As a reward for these services the emperor granted
Kishan Singh the villeige of Setholao with some adjoining territory. By 1611
he was powerful enough to found the town and fort of Kishangarh, where Kishan
Singh styled himself as Raja* The emperor Jahangir (1605-1627 A.D.) bestowed
on him the title of Maharajah, doubtless for further services to the corirt of
Delhi. Kishan Singh died in 1615 but his line continued to rule Kishangarh
until recent times. The state enjoyed a somewhat precarious semi-independent
existence whilst the Mughal Empire crumbled and fell. During the latter half
of the 18th century and the earlv 19th century the Maharajahs of Kishangarh
were forced to pay tribute to the Marathas, who had become the masters of the
greater part of Rajputana. It was not until 1818, when the Marathas were
finally defeated by the British that the state's independence was guaranteed by
treaty in which Maharajah Kalyan Singh acknowledged Great Britain as the
paramount power.

The Coinage

The coins issued by the state of Kishangarh were limited to four, or possibly
five, types. They are descidbed by Webb in "The Currencies of the Hindu States
of Rajputana." (Archibald Constable & Co., London, 1893), and catalogued by
Valentine in "The Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museiun, Calcutta. Vol.IV.
(Oxford University Press, 1928).

The issue appears to have been confined principally to two denominations, the
gold mohur and the silver rupee. No fractions of these coins are known. The
copper paisa described here has not been published previously but there is no
doubt as to its authenticity.

Gold Coins

The Mohur. According to Webb, the gold mohtir of Kishangarh weighed 11 mashas
2i rattis (approximately 170 grains). He remarks that they were not coined in
any great number and are very rarely met with. As Webb does not deacribe the
coin it may be presumed that ho had not seen one. Neither does the coin appear
in the Indian Museum Catalogue. There is no specimen of a Kishangarh mohur in
the British Museum and I have never seen one elsewhere.
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It ia possible that they were coined with the same dies as the 'Sanah 24'
rupee and the 1858 rupee at very infrequent intervals. (Craig 17)

Silver Coins

The 'Sanah 24' Rupee, The first issue of coins for ïClshangarh appears to
have been made in A.H. 1197 or during the 24th year of the reign of the
Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, corresponding to 1783 A.D. The name 'Kishangarh'
is quite obvious on the reverse side. The only ornament of note on the obverse
side is a small string of triangular shapes between the words "sikka" and
"mabarak". On the reverse side above the name of the state is a flower spray
or jhar of rather unusual form. The average weight of these rupees is 165
grains and the average diameter 19nBii. ( See FIG.l) (Craig 10)

The 'Sanah 25' Rupee. The next issue of the rupee bore the regnal year 25 of
Shah Alam II and it differs in several respects: no Hegira date is apparent
on the obverse and the necklet-like mark is absent. A differently formed Jhar
appears on the reverse of these coins, which in other details are identical.
The average weight is 165 grains and the diameter 19mm. (See FIG II).

No further issues of rupees were made until an entirely new t3rpe appeared in
1858. It is therefore probable that the 'Sanah 24' rupee was struck in its
original form when needed from 1785 imtil 1858. The piece with this regnal
year seems to predominate and is more commonly found than the 'Sanah 25' rupee.
It was, it would appear, more acceptable for some reason than the latter coin,
for the figures 24 were perpetuated in the 1858 rupee for no valid reason and
even on some private issues that are thought to have been struck some 60 years
later. It is probable that no further strikings were made of the 'Sanah 25'
rupee, after the initial issue.

The Chandori Rupee, ¥ebb states, presumably with some authoidty, that the
second issue of the Mewar Chandori rupee was struck in Kishangarh as a mark of
respect of Chand Kunwar Bai, sister to Bhim Singh, the Maharanah of Mewar in the
early part of the 19th century. Why the Maharajah of Kishangarh should hold
this lajdy in such esteem is not stated but the first issue of Chandori rupees
were struck by Bhim Singh on the advice of Chand Kunwar Bai and were principally
used for charitable purposes. The copies struck in Kishangarh are of the same
type as the Mewar Chandoris, but the die cutting is inferior work and the silver
is very base. The average weight of these coins is 166 grains and the diameter
19mm. (See PIG III),

The 1858 Rupee, To conform with the directions of the Government, in 1858 the
majority of the native states made a drastic change in their coinage by dropping
the name and titles of the Mu^al emperors and issuing coins in the name of
Queen Victoria. The Kishangarh rupee that appeared in 1858 is described in the
Indian Museum Catalogue and by Webb, although the latter illustrates it eunong
the coins of Jaipur and does not appear to recognise it as a Kishangarh coin.
Both works give an incorrect reading for the obverse and reverse legends. The
i ishangarh mint closed about 1900 although the precise date is not known and the
1858 rupee was issued spasmodically between 1858 and 1900. According to the
Imperial Gazetteer of 1907 the rupee was still current at the beginning of the
20th century, when it equalled 13 British annas. They were known locally as
"Chaubisana" (of the 24th year), the fixed refmal year having been carried on
since the time of Shah Alam II, The average weight of these rupees is 166.3
grains and the diameter 20mm, (See FIG. IV) (Craig 35).
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The Doulle Rupee. This large piece which has the same obverse and reverse
legends as the 1858 rupee was obviously struck as a nazr or presentation piece.
Very few specimens probably exist. The coin in the British Museum weighs
346 grains and gives the full die, whereas on the ordinary rupees much of the
legend falls off the coin. The Persian script on the coin is rather debased
and some of the words are displaced. The reason for striking these large coins
is not on record but it is thought that the mint produced such pieces occasion-
ally for presentation to the State Darbar, (See PIG VI).

Copper Coins

The 'Sanah 25' Paisa. Webb makes no mention of a copper coinage for Kishan/^arh
and indeed the information that he provides for the gold and silver is rather
sparse. There is no information as to what copper coins were current in
Kishangarh but use must have been made of copper of some description, probably
that of some neighbouring state. It is therefore quite probable that copper was
struck by the Kisheuagarh authorities and as is the case with a number of other
states, the copper coinage has never been recognised and attributed or is of
some rarity. The hitherto unpublished paisa described here is of the same pattern
as the 'Sanah 25' nipee, although certainly not from the same dies. The weight
of 55 grains is unusually light for a copper coin of the period but would seem to
indicate that it could not be intended to pass for a rupee is silvered over.
(See PIG V ) .

Bibliography
I-K

"The Currencies of the Hindu States of Rajputana". Capt. ¥.V/.¥ebb. Archibald

Constable and Co., London, 1893.

"The Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, Vol. IV".
W.H. Valentine, Oxford university Press, 1928.

"Coins of the World 1750-1850". William D, Craig, Whitman Publishing Co. Racine
1966.

I am indebted to our member, Mr. C.K. Panish, U.S.A., for the reading of the double
rupee illustrated as Pig. VI. The illustrations portray a typical specimen of the
coin and are actual size.
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FIG. I

Shah Alam 1197 Auspicious coin of the

Badshah Ghazi Victorious Emperor

Sikka maba^ak Shah Alam 1197

Maimanat manus Struck in year 24

Kishangarh jalus of hir, fortunate r e i ^

Zarb sanah 24 of Kishangarh

FIG. II FIG. IV FIG. V

:i^

As Fig I but year No inscriptions but symbols As Pig.VI, Inscription

25 instead of 24 and of various sorts on both sides. probably as
1197 omitted. Fig. I.

FIG. VI

Victoria Auspcious coin by

Uy^' Inglstan 1^^8 permission of the

Malikah Muzzamah Great l^ueen of the

Sultanat English I^mpire

J^- Ó) U^ "^^^ Sikka mabarak

Victoria Jti^'^ö
bi^ahd

Maharao Struck in the 24th year

Prithui Singh of the prosperous

Maharajah Ram reign of the Kishangarh

••sVS^Avp^^ó.: Kishangarh Bahadur Maharajah, Bahadur

Maimanat manus Ram ' rithvi Singh

Zarb sanah 24 jalus i^aharao